Pat Lottier is a visionary, who is committed to excellence, community involvement and making a difference in the lives of those in her community. She has accomplished most of the goals by using her publication, Atlanta Tribune: The Magazine, to enlighten the business community with information and articles that inform, motivate, educate and inspire.
Ms. Lottier is publisher and chief executive officer of the award winning monthly magazine that covers and reports on business-related stories affecting the African- American community in metropolitan area Atlanta. Pat and her late husband, George, purchased the tabloid-looking newspaper in 1987. The vision then and the vision now, is still the same – commitment to producing a high quality publication that effectively serves the African American business community.
“When I became publisher, my commitment was to produce a high-quality newsmagazine for Atlanta’s African American community,” said Lottier. “I believe then and now that Black folks, both deserve and appreciate such a product.”
Since purchasing the publication, Ms. Lottier has restructured and expanded the publication’s staff, enhanced its layout and design, extended the scope of the news coverage and has overseen a dramatic increase in subscription. So much so, Lottier and her staff have won journalism awards from the Atlanta Association of Black Journalists and The Atlanta Association of Media Women. And, Lottier was the only African American publisher listed in “Who’s Who in Media” in the 1995 Atlanta Business Chronicle.
Lottier admits that metamorphosis of the publication has been dramatic. When the publication was purchased more than a decade ago, it was a monthly tabloid publication printed on newspaper stock. But three years ago, the design was upgraded to a full color slick monthly magazine format.
“In addition to commitment and a willingness to work the long hours, you must be flexible,” she said. “Success is relative to time and circumstances. Our world is changing everyday.”
Success for Pat comes in many forms. She’s mother of two sons, Chris, a systems engineer on assignment in Afghanistan and Shawn, DDS a Dentist in Atlanta Ga .
Ms. Lottier holds a Master’s Degree from Emory University in Public Health Care Administration. She also has Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing from the University of Connecticut; a diploma degree from John Hopkins Hospital and was formerly a registered nurse for many years, before the publishing business beckoned.
Born in Ashland, Kentucky, Lottier’s past and present community initiatives and board affiliations are numerous and varied:
In addition, Lottier has been the recipient of several citations and awards:
With all of her board affiliations, awards and citations, Lottier continues to make time for community initiatives through her Magazine and through hands on contact in the community. Under Lottier’s leadership as secretary for the Magazine’s Scholarship Foundation, Atlanta Tribune: The Magazine has taken an aggressive posture in its participation in community affairs. The company sponsors fundraising events for non- profit organizations such as the Sickle Cell Foundation, Hands on Atlanta, the Atlanta
Urban League, , The National Black Arts Festival, The 100 Black Men and The 100 Black Women organizations.
In 1993, Lottier’s outreach and media efforts extended to television with a new production, “Inside The Atlanta Tribune –Cable TV, which aired on MediaOne. “The show discussed topics of interest, including current events, business related stories that may or may not have been included in the magazine, extended our reach into the community,” said Lottier.
With all of the additional involvement on the part of Lottier, her staff and family, she still won’t rest on her laurels. The struggle to inform and be of service to the community continues. “One of the reasons I got into publishing is that I wanted to touch lives and help our readers and the community grow by giving them good sound information that can be used short term or long term. And, I believe in some small way, our publication has succeeded in doing that,” she said.